[promo title=”Versus Multiplayer”][/promo]
Plausibility Rating: “Rancid”
Anyone else remember that interview with Co-creative Director for Dishonored, Raphael Colantonio, on Rock, Paper, Shotgun? We do! He was quoted on the subject of multiplayer, saying: “[…] primarily, we are storytellers. That’s the part we like. So as long as multiplayer does not go against that – which is unfortunately often the case with multiplayer because you have to remove any story bits because they go at odds with the strict values of multiplayer – [we’re interested].
But yes, generally we’re more into single-player. Someone playing at their own pace, which is another thing that goes against multiplayer values. In multiplayer, there’s a group, so everyone has to worry about going forward or being shot at. But we’re also keeping an eye out for ways to do multiplayer the right way.”
Does ‘Versus Multiplayer’ sound like the right way to you, going by the Co-creative Director’s own words? No, us neither. That’s why we’re just a little more inclined to think this ‘E3 Fact Sheet’ is a load of nonsense. A pity, really. So, what’s next?
[promo title=”New Character, New Location, New Powers”][/promo]
Plausibility Rating: “Duh”
We’re beginning to think we could have mocked up an ‘E3 2014 Fact Sheet’ ourselves. If the ending of Dishonored wasn’t enough to convince you that Corvo’s story had run its course, just look at The Outsider’s dialogue in The Brigmore Witches DLC. He appears before Daud – who himself is arguably more interesting and reusable than Corvo – and tells him, “Do you know there are only eight of you in the world who possess my mark?” As for the new location, that’s hardly a leap of logic; more like a tiny, sheepish step. Tyvia? Why the hell not. It’s just as good as anywhere else. New powers? Again, this is hardly something we weren’t expecting. Note to author: Must try harder.
[promo title=”Annihilate the Outsider”][/promo]
Plausibility Rating: “Smells Like The Void”
We all enjoy a good story. Dishonored was a good story and the mysterious being known only to us as The Outsider played his role from the shadows, watching things unfold because he found them “interesting”. What was made clear in the course of multiple play throughs was that The Outsider is aloof, unapproachable and a conduit for what the people of Dishonored‘s world call magic. We highly doubt that “Annihilate The Outsider” is a tagline for the player. It doesn’t have the same ring to it as “Revenge Solves Everything”, does it? If anyone is trying to annihilate him it would be the Abbey of the Everyman (Dishonored‘s equivalent of Thief‘s Hammerites).
It’s unlikely that Arkane Studios would set up an entity who explicitly tells players, “I see everything; I see forever” only to make a sequel where he’s actually under threat. Of course, it could just be the player – an agent of the Outsider – who is the target of said annihilation. Ooh, the mystery continues.
Overall Plausibility Rating: “Potentially Excellent Fertilizer”
We’d be surprised if the information on this ‘Leaked E3 Fact Sheet’ proved to be entirely true, but then again Arkane Studios have surprised us before. We certainly hope they have the time to make a sequel that outshines the original game by some margin, just as much as we hope that any multiplayer components will be thoughtful and within the context of this delightfully murky world. Plot details for Dishonored II are a complete mystery at this juncture. That said, if you wanted to pluck a few ideas, plonk them on a document and then call it an ‘E3 2014 Fact Sheet’, you would find no shortage of potential plotlines in Dishonored.
We will continue to update this with any more ‘leaked’ information, be it fact sheets or otherwise. In the meantime, why not try to build your own Leaked E3 Fact Sheet for Dishonored II and let us know what you would put in it? Our Faecal Sniffer Plausibility Guage is ready and waiting…